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April 1 1924. 1,488,499 G. R. HOFFMAN AUTOMOBILE TRANSMI S S ION BAND Filed Sent. 18, 1922 IN VE/V 707a 679/1? E. Wei man.

.BY' AZW fiffORNEY Patented Apr. 1, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GLENN H. HOFFMAN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOB TO PARKS &; BOHNE INC., 015

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A'CORPORATION 'OF MISSOURI.

AUTOMOBILE TRANSMISSION BAND.

Application filed September 18, 1922. Serial No. 588,863.

To all whom 2'25 may concern:

Be it known that I, GLENN R. HOFFMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing atthe city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automobile Transmission Bands, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part thereof.

This invention relates generally to auto mobile transmission bands and, more partioularly, to a certain new and useful improvement in the means for operatively actuating the same about their drums, the principal object of my present invention being to provide a transmission band withrelatively simple and inexpensive tightening or clutching and releasing or freelng means so constructed that the renewal or replacement of the band within the transmission-housing may be accomplished with facility and convenience.

With the above and other objects in view, my present invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement,

and combination of parts hereinafter described and afterwards pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a transmission-band equipped with band-actuating means embodying my invention, illustrated in connection with the transmissionhousing of an automobile;

Figure 2 is an enlarged frag-mental view of the band and its actuating means; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a part or section of the band-engaging shaft or pin of the band-actuating means.

Referring now more in detail and by reference characters to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of my invention, 1 is the transmissionhousing or case having the usual removable lid or cover 2, 3-3 the bearings for the pedal actuated band-engaging shaft or pin, 4 a cam-projection formed upon the inner face of a wall of the housing 1 in alignment with the bearing 3, and 5 one of the geardrums, all of which parts are of standard, well-known automobile construction. Disposed within the housing 1 and encircling drum 5, is the band proper 6, which may also be of standard split type and construction;

preferably, however, the band 6 is of the split-form and construction shown and described in Letters Patent No. 1 168811, is sued to me under date ofSeptember 25, 1923, one ear 7 of which is permanently fixed to and upon the'band and the other ear 8 of which is detachable from the band, to facilitate removal of the band from the housing, as in mysaid application more fully described. Threaded for adjustment in the opposite bearing 3', is a screw-member 9 provided longitudinally at its inner end with a bore 10.

Mounted for rotatory movement in the bearing 3 and cam projection {1, is a shaft section 11, upon the outer end of which is fixed the usual clutch and slow speed foot pedal 12. Suitably fixed upon the inner end of shaft section 11, is a cam-member 13 adapted for co-operation with member 1 in the actuation or tightening of band 6 about drum 5, as will be well understood. The inner end-face of cam-member 13 bears upon the one bandear 8, and screw-member 9 adjustably bears upon the other band-ear, as illustrated in Figure 1. Forming substantially a part of shaft-section 11 and projecting through a suitable perforation or aperture provided for the purpose in ear 8, is an extension stud or pin 14.

15 indicates a second shaft-section which, at one end, is provided with a head or enlargement 16 adapted to flatwise abut against the inner face of the ear 8, and which at its other end projects through a suitable aperture provided for the purpose in ear 7 into the bore 10 of screw 9, the shaft-section 15 being provided at its headed or enlarged end 16 with a longitudinal socket or recess 18 adapted to freely accommodate the extension or pin 14: of the other shaft-section 11. Coiled about the shaft-section 15 and interposed between its head 16 and the inner face of ear 7, is a coiled spring 17 adapted normally to yieldingly hold and maintain the ears 7 and 8 of band 6 in suitably spaced relation.

In use or operation, it will be evident that, as pedal 12 is suitably actuated, movable cam-member 13 will, in co-operation with hearing 4:, yieldingly force ear 8 of band 6, against the tension of spring 17 towards the ear 7, and thereby actuated or tighten band 6 into clutching engagement with the drum I 5, the spring 17 actuating to free the band the shaft-section 15, and then, due to the described two-part or sectional construction of, the band-engaging shaft as a whole, the band-ears 7 and 8 may be conveniently disengaged from such shaft and the band then readily slipped around. the drum 5 and removed from the housing 1 at its lid 2 without necessitating any dismantling or disassembling of the housing.

I am aware that minor changes in the form, construction, arrangement and combination of'the several parts of the transmission-band and its tightening means may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my inven tion. 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire'to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An automobile transmission comprising a drum and a split-band encircling the drum, the band being provided at its ends projecting'through the first ear and having engagement with the first section.

2. An automobile transmission comprising a drum and a split-band encircling the drum, the band being provided at its ends with perforated ears, in combination with means including a two-part shaft for yieldingly" tightening the band into clutching engagement with the drum, said shaft'co'nsisting of a longitudinally socketed headed section having engagement with one ear and projecting through the other ear, and a second section projecting at an end loosely through the first ear and into the socketof the first section. g

In testimony whereof; I have signed my name to this specification.

GLENN R. HOFFh/IAI'FI. 

